1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses for data acquisition and perfusion control in the analysis of cellular physiology and electrophysiology and to methods for automated perfusion and membrane voltage and current measurement for physiological and electrophysiological analysis.
2. Description of the Background
Cell membranes communicate information from the extracellular environment by means of receptor and channel proteins located within the cell membrane. Receptor proteins are gated by molecules which can bind to the receptor and signal that a binding event has taken place, often by triggering the opening of ion channels through which ions such as sodium and chloride ions can flow. Ionic flux across a cell membrane generates electrical current that can be measured with appropriate recording equipment. Electrophysiological analysis is widely used today to study the pharmacology and biophysics of membrane proteins.
An expression system utilizing unfertilized eggs, or oocytes, taken from the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, is a preferred material for electrophysiological studies of receptor and ion channel function. Xenopus oocytes have the ability to synthesize functional proteins when microinjected with exogenous mRNA or cDNA constructs.
In electrophysiological analysis, an oocyte is electrically connected to intracellular voltage and current measuring and clamping devices. Detection of an electrophysiological response may comprise steps of applying appropriate receptor ligands and adjusting the holding potential manually and measuring any changes in membrane voltage or current.
Recently, electrophysiological analysis of Xenopus oocytes has been actively applied to many fields. In particular, electrophysiological analysis has been used for the study of membrane protein function, such as the function and pharmacology of membrane receptors, voltage-gated ion channels, molecular transporters and ion pumps. Defined combinations of recombinant subunits, chimeric proteins, or mutagenized constructs can be efficiently reconstituted in the oocyte membrane for electrophysiological analysis. For such analysis, the oocyte response may be monitored using intracellular recording, patch clamp and internal perfusion techniques.
It has been difficult to achieve a highly reproducible and reliable assay or to achieve quantitative analysis of electrophysiological response by conventional manual perfusion and membrane potential measurement techniques. These techniques have many shortcomings because of variabilities due to human errors, operator fatigue and inconsistencies between operators, and less than optimal reproducibility and reliability. Further, the perfusion and detection steps typically require long and complicated manual manipulations which create additional problems. The cultured cell becomes less viable with time and it is difficult to control the temperature and oxygen tension. The limited dexterity of even the most experienced operator limits the number of experiments may be performed on one cell. Reliance on human operators has resulted in reaction times that are considerably longer than theoretically possible.
Conventional systems for analysis of cells have attempted to address some of the problems of automated cell analysis. These systems have suffered generally from inability to individually measure a physiological response of a cell. Examples of systems that do not address individual physiological measurements include Kearney, Engström, Fränzl et al. and Capco et al.
Kearney (U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,209), discloses a system for culturing and testing of cells. This culturing and testing system was designed for the culturing and testing of cell populations and not individual cells. Engström (U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,731) discloses a method and apparatus for studying a reaction pattern of a cell or cell aggregate during perfusion with different media. The system is limited to analysis of cell response of a through transmission microscopy. Fränzl et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,086) discloses an apparatus for the automatic monitoring of microorganism culture. The system is limited to the monitoring of microorganism growth and multiplication by an impedance measuring process. Capco et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,527) discloses a method for detection of tumor promoting compounds. Amphibian oocytes are contacted to a tumor promoting compound and the oocytes are examined visually to detect a change in the size of the light/dark hemisphere of the oocyte. Capco's disclosed method is limited to contacting the oocytes to one solution comprising a candidate tumor promoting compound.